``Just breaking execution,'' the Celtics coach said of one problem facing his 9-4 team on the eve of today's game in New York. ``You start a play, and the next thing you know you're out of the play. You want your players to be free to see something. The player can absolutely be right and we can do this, but if the other four don't know what this is, then it can't work even if he's right. That's where we are at times.

``High Basketball IQ - those are the types of teams that do that, and then you just have to get them back to being a disciplined group, too, and they will be,'' he said. ``That's why I'm not as concerned as someone else would be, because they're a smart team, and that's one of the residual effects. We have to think as a team.''

So instead of his team attacking the problem as a collection of me-first MIT scholars, the Celtics coach is demanding unity.

``We've played pretty hard,'' Rivers said. ``Sometimes we get so used to each other, we tend to get bored with that. We go off and we try to do other things, and the players actually said it today.

``I didn't even have to speak it,'' he said. ``To a man, they said we run the first option of an offensive set, and the next thing you know we have two guys who are in something completely different because hey, let's try this. That's more discipline. It's up to the coach to get them to see the importance of that.''

Judging from the post-practice pose struck by Paul Pierce, the players are thinking deeply about these matters. The Celtics captain sat on a bench, his chin in his right palm with his elbow planted on a knee, a la Rodin's The Thinker.

``We're just trying to do better,'' he said. ``It's just the little things, the simple things that we have to do. It's a confident ballclub, we've been together for a while, and we're not worried about it. It's execution. If you're supposed to set a pick, set a pick; if you're supposed to cut hard, cut hard. Show on defense.

``We're still the same team,'' Pierce said. ``We're still learning. It's a long season, and we haven't hit our peak yet. We understand that it's a long season, but we want to try and get better every day. We feel upset that we lost three games in November - at home. This is not a team that pushes the panic button, though. We just have to work to get ourselves back on the same page.

``It hurts to lose. I've been a competitor my whole career, but you still understand it's a long season, and there are going to be peaks and valleys.''

Still on mend

Rivers admitted the real Kevin Garnett may not become apparent until sometime in April, as the Celtics forward continues his recovery from knee surgery.

``I have no idea,'' the Celtics coach said after practice. ``I think it will take all year. By playoff time he will be fine, but he'll have a great stretch, then a tired stretch. That's just my opinion. I don't know how long it will take.''

Rivers admitted his heart skipped at the sight of Garnett painfully flexing his left knee following a collision in the first half of Friday's loss to Orlando.

``Get him out,'' Rivers said of his first thought. ``I thought he did get hurt. I know him well enough that something hurt, though he didn't get hurt. That's why I left him in there. I just watched him move, and I thought he has to run this off more than sit and get treated.''

MSG memories

Rivers, dating back to his time as a Knick, has special feelings for the place the Celtics will play today - Madison Square Garden.

``It always is for me because I played there,'' he said. ``It's the only arena left. It's the only arena with ghosts - and rats. That makes it special, I guess. I would love to (preserve the old arenas and ballparks), but you know that's not going to happen. They haven't torn down Fenway or Wrigley, anyway.'' Ironically, Rivers wasn't sad when they tore down Chicago Stadium - a great Basketball building in his hometown.

``I was pretty happy, because we couldn't win there,'' he said. ``I was thinking more as a Knick about that, but you know what happened? We didn't win in (the United Center) either. It had nothing to do with the building. It was Michael Jordan.''

Heading north

The Celtics made their first NBDL move of the season by assigning Bill Walker to the Maine Red Claws, their affiliate in Portland.

Walker, who is also recovering from knee surgery, has not been able to crack the rotation. This is Walker's second D-League tour of duty. He spent time with the Utah Flash last season. For the moment, rookie Lester Hudson is being kept with the parent club. . . .

Rivers gave a nice shout-out to Patrick Chambers, Boston University's new men's Basketball coach, even if the Terriers did beat his son, Jeremiah, and Indiana on Friday.

``BU has a nice coach; they'll be pretty good,'' Rivers said. ``He was with Jay Wright for a while.''

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